Ebook Week March 6-12, 2011

Not sure if you’ve heard, but this week is Ebook Week, celebrating electronic books. I started reading ebooks about 8 years or so ago. I found them quite by accident.

At the time, I’d discovered Angela Knight’s Mageverse series and loved it. So I jumped onto her website, looking for more books. I found one that she had offered through Loose Id. I bit the bullet and bought it.

Then I found other publishers. I don’t even know how much money I spent in the beginning. This was before ereaders were so popular. I read most of my books on my computer. Then I talked hubby into buying me an ereader.

Choices were limited. I went with the Ebookwise reader. It was a little bulky, especially compared to today’s models. It worked, though. I LOVED it. I still have it, though nowadays I do most of my reading on my iTouch. I’m considering another ereader, but don’t know what I want so I hold off for now.

In honor of Ebook Week, some electronic publishers are giving away free ebooks or giving great deals. Check out the websites below for deals. I hope you enjoy. If you know of any others, please share in the comments.

Ebook Week
ImaJinn Books

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine’s Day.

I don’t know about you, but this holiday sure seems to put a lot of pressure on and inspire feelings of insecurity in a lot of people. Particularly single people.

In elementary school, we had to give everyone a card. Not so bad. Then comes middle school (junior high) and high school. In my school, they offered carnations for sale for $1. There were a bunch of different colors, each meaning something else. The cheerleaders (I think) would bring them around in the afternoon, “delivering” them in front of everyone.

Of course, as we get older, it carries more significance. No one wants to be single on this day of love. I have to admit, I never had someone special during this time until my husband and I got together. So that first year, I went all out on gifts.

And he didn’t.

I’m convinced most guys don’t really get the concept behind V-day. After a few years, I stopped going crazy on the gifts for hubby. Now we pretty much just do cards, maybe a nice dinner somewhere. Every so often, he’ll bring or send flowers home.

This year, I think we made up for all the past years. Hubby has been dying for one of those automatic coffee machines. After our neighbor was able to organize one for less than half the price and I made sure we’d be able to use it in the States when we go back, I relented.

We picked it up yesterday. I’m calling this a gift to each other.

I had planned to have a gift for all of you in the form of a free read. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to finish it in time. So instead, I have another gift. As some of you may know, I write erotic romance under the name Scarlett Jameson. As such, I’m a member of an erotic stories blog and we publish each month into an ebook.

So my gift to you is a coupon code for a free book on Smashwords, if you’d like. (I know this isn’t everyone’s cuppa.) Since some of the stories are serials and Volume 1 is already free, I’ll start with the code for Volume 2.

Volume 1 can be found here:  Everything Erotic Volume I
Volume 2 can be found here:  Everything Erotic Volume II

Coupon code for Volume 2: TR69U

What are your plans for Valentine’s Day? Do you and your honey have any special traditions?

Welcome to Blogmania Sept. 15 - 16!

You've arrived at exactly the right time to explore lots of new blogs, all of which, ARE GIVING AWAY A VERY SPECIAL BLOGMANIA GIVEAWAY  (For Two Days Only – September 15th and 16th) .

We've done all the work for you. No hunting or surfing. At the end of this blog post is a list of all the participating blogs. You may want to print that list out so you can mark each one off as you visit it.

I know you'll want to visit as many blogs today as you can. So, if you see something that interests you on any of our participating blogs, why not bookmark that site. Later, when you have more time, you can discover all its fabulous treasures.

CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! MY GIVEAWAY and RULES: I'm calling my giveaway Love with a Bite Paranormal Romance Prize Pack. 2 yummy candles from Colonial Candle, 3 great books (Taming of the Wolf, an anthology featuring Autumn Shelley, When Blood Calls by J.K. Beck and And Falling, Fly by Skylar White), a plush stuffed wolf and a pair of handmade moonstone earrings. Great prize, right? And easy to qualify. All you have to do is become a follower here on my blog and my Facebook fan page. Once done, just leave me a comment telling me your Facebook name or if you’d rather, email it privately to me at riley@riley-quinn.com. I'll be announcing the winner of the prize on Monday's blog entry, so make sure you come back!

My close-up of the earrings didn't turn out. This is the pic from the seller's website. Copper crystals at the bottom are the only difference. They're beautiful.

Below is the list I told you about. At each site, you'll find even more. Gifts and prizes totaling over $38,000 are up for grabs during this event. Each blog has their own criteria for their giveaway, so read carefully. Have fun checking out all these great sites.

Goodies Galore!

First things first. Thank you J.K Beck for stopping by and thank you to all who stopped by and left a comment on Friday. As promised, 3 lucky commenters will be receiving a copy of her new book, When Blood Calls. It is awesome!

The random number generator at www.random.org has chosen PL Parker, Cheryl Rae and Gale Stanley. If you would email your mailing address to me at riley@riley-quinn.com, I will get these lovelies out in the mail for you.

How about more goodies to give away? Remember last week that I mentioned Blogmania was coming up? It happens this week on Wednesday and Thursday, September 15 & 16. Saturday, I hopped over to Bayreuth to pick up the last piece of my giveaway for this awesome event.

I know I’ve mentioned that I’m basing the prize pack on my novel, Out of the Shadows. I’ve hinted here and there, but today you get to see what you’re trying to win.

I’m calling it my Love with a Bite Paranormal Romance Prize Pack.

First, a plush, so so soft stuffed wolf. Gabe, my hero, is a wolf shifter.

Wolves are equated with the moon, right? So how about some moonstone earrings. These beauties are handmade by Regina McGearty at Walk on the Moon. She even added a copper colored crystal for each one to signify my heroine, Belle the Fire Witch.

Next, I’ve got two candles from Colonial Candles. I searched for the scents that match Gabe and Belle and while I didn’t get it exactly, I came pretty close. There is one Tibetan Sandalwood and one French lavender. Mmm, they smell yummy.

Last but not least, I’ve got to add books! As I did with my last Blogmania giveaway, I chose books written by my chapter mates in the Austin chapter and of course, they are paranormals.

Taming of the Wolf – this is an anthology from The Wild Rose Press and features the story, Blood Moon, written by my good friend and critique partner, Autumn Shelley.

When Blood Calls – You know this one. I’ve reviewed it here and we just had J.K. Beck here. Here’s another chance to get your hands on it.

And Falling, Fly – This is the debut novel of Skylar White.

My close-up of the earrings didn't turn out. This is the pic from the seller's website. Copper crystals at the bottom are the only difference. They're beautiful.

Great prize, right? All this adds up to over $100. All you have to do to be in the running is follow my blog and join my Facebook fan page. To follow my blog, go to the Follow button in the right-hand column and it will walk you through. To join my fan page, go here and click that you Like it.

You can do both of these steps early, if you want and then on those two days, either post a comment stating your Facebook name or if you’d rather, email me at riley@riley-quinn.com and tell me both your Facebook name and your blogger ID.

On Friday, I’ll use the random number generator again and post the winner on Monday, September 20.

What do you think? A prize worth winning?

It's almost time

Blogmania is coming again! If you don’t remember, it’s a blog event where over 100 different blogs give away great prizes. Last time, it was a one day event. This time it will span 2 days.

Each blog that’s registered with Blogmania will carry the same message those two days and will have a short of list of other blogs to try. The idea is to go from one blog to another and participate to go in the drawing for prizes.

Each blog has their own prize offering AND their own rules as to how to qualify, so make sure you read the guidelines on each blog carefully.

This event is taking place on September 15 and 16. Last time, I gave away a pretty good prize, if I do say so myself. This time, I’m trying something a little different.

As I’ve mentioned here before, I’ve finished my first full-length novel and I’m getting ready to query agents. So, to celebrate, I’m basing my prize on my book, Out of the Shadows. I’ve been ordering goodies and I need only 2 more items to have it all together. Once I do, I’ll have pics to show you what you’ll be playing for. One item is in the mail, winging its way here. The other I need to head to Bayreuth and pick up.

I’m also changing the rules a little as well. Last time, you needed to sign up as a blog follower to be eligible to win. That part still applies. So if you are already a blog follower (thank you!), you’re good with that part. To become a blog follower, scroll down until you see the Follow button on the right. Click it and follow the instructions. It’s quick and easy.

The second thing you need to do is sign up on my Facebook fan page. Once you’ve done that, just comment on one of those days and let me know what your Facebook name is so I can match them up.
This Blogmania is going to be better than the last so gear up and get ready. If you want to follow me early, please do. Also, if you want to email me with your blog ID and Facebook ID rather than posting a comment, feel free.

We’re going to have a lot of fun and there’s a ton of great prizes waiting to be won. Join in on the fun!

Day 1 as a Full-time Writer

Yesterday was my last day at the part time job. Driving home, I felt a huge pressure lift off my chest and shoulders. Today is my first day as a full-time writer. At least for now. We're still not sure if we're staying in Germany or heading back to the States yet. It will probably be another 2 weeks until we hear, but while we're here, I can focus on my writing. I intend to make the most of this time, whether it's only 3 more months or 3 more years.

Last night, as I relaxed on my sofa with Peanut laying beside me, I made my to-do list for today. I've already marked off 5 things as finished, even after sleeping in. Peanut decided to snuggle into the pillows for extra shut-eye too. I thought she looked so cute, I had to get a picture.

One thing that was not on the list today but definitely on the list for tomorrow is catching up on emails. I've let them slide the last two weeks (I know, bad girl). So if you've sent me an email in that time, I promise to respond by tomorrow.

One of the things that did make the list is ordering goodies for my giveaway during Blogmania next month. You probably remember Blogmania from April. I had a pretty good giveaway, if I do say so myself. Well, I'm trying to out-do myself this time. I've got some great gifts coming and as they arrive, I'll take pics so you can see what's up for grabs. I'm centering the theme around my novel, Out of the Shadows. You all have been so supportive of me and my novel, so here's a little give-back. Blogmania is coming soon, just 4 weeks away.

Anyway, time to knock some more items off the to-do list. What's on your plate this week? Any special projects you're hoping to finish up?

Touch of Celtic

Well, it appears my friend, Shelly, received her birthday gift. That means I can share here now.

I think I've spoken before about some of the crafting I do when I can find the time. My grandma taught me to crochet when I was young, maybe 8? Anyway, I've been doing it for a long time now. It's relaxing to me and a good way to keep the hands busy while watching TV with hubby rather than snacking.

So in January I started an afghan for Shelly's birthday. She likes all things Celtic and I found this pattern that had that kind of feel to it. Unfortunately, it took longer than I'd anticipated. Her birthday is in February. She just got it this week. She's very patient. I hope the wait was worth it.

My next project is almost halfway finished. I found this shawl pattern in a magazine and then found some great yarn at a German yarn store. It is so soft and the color is a light purple with a silvery shimmer. I'm making it to wear over my sleeveless black dress that I'll be sporting at the award ceremony at national conference. Hopefully I'll be posting a picture soon.

Tomorrow is my midterm exam for my Intro to Religion class so it's off to study for me. Hope you all have a great day!

Wooden Shoes and Gouda Cheese

Sorry for the delay of this post. I tried to get it up yesterday but had technical difficulties getting the video uploaded - directly and through Youtube. Still having problems with it today. It loads about 40% and then stops. To say I'm not technically savvy is an understatement, so if anyone has any tips for me, please email me at riley@riley-quinn.com. I'd love for you all to see the video. Now on to our regularly scheduled blog post.

After leaving Keukenhof, we hopped back on the bus and headed over to a local farmer's place.

This farmer made gouda cheese. For those of you that don't know me, I'm a cheese-aholic. I love just about any kind of cheese, but gouda is a particular favorite.When we arrived, we petted the cows. A calf had been born just that day. It was so sweet.

Then we were ushered into the barn. There, the farmer's wife explained the process of making cheese and how to tell (at least in the Netherlands) if cheese was farm-made or factory-made. It's evident by the shape of the label on the cheese.Next, we shuffled into the next room, because cheese making isn't as profitable as one would think. At least, on their small scale. They supplemented their income by making wooden shoes.

This is where we were treated to a demonstration by the farmer himself. He was a trip! It was fun to watch him start from a block of wood and end up with a shoe.Finally, we got to shop. They had a small souvenir store with his shoes, cheese and other items. They carried four different types of gouda cheese - traditional, mustard, pepper, and garlic/herb, as well as a smoked with ham cheese. Yummy! The cheese with the mustard seed was my favorite. I got some of all the different kinds of cheese and some wooden shoes.

Tomorrow is my visit to the Anne Frank House.

Wow!

First of all, I'd like to thank each and every one of you that signed up to be a follower of my blog. The response was more than I'd expected and I'm very pleased. I hope you all stick around and enjoy my posts.

Second, I'm happy to announce that the winner of my Month of Sundays Relaxation Kit is Kate L (aka Yzhabelle). Congratulations, Kate! I sent you an email but if you failed to receive it, please drop me a note at riley@riley-quinn.com.

I returned early this morning (2 am) from my trip to Holland. I visited Keukenhof, as well as some other great places. I've got tons of pictures to transfer from my camera to the computer. For the rest of this week, I will be sharing my trip with you.

I'm still recovering, so today is short and sweet. I'd love to hear how you spent your weekend though. Share the details!

Blogmania is Here!

Welcome to Blogmania!
 My Blog is 64 of 123

You've arrived at exactly the right time to explore lots of new blogs, all of which, ARE GIVING AWAY A VERY SPECIAL BLOGMANIA GIVEAWAY  (For One Day Only – April 30^th) .

We've done all the work for you. No hunting or surfing. Each blog will have a number and each new blog link will have a number. These numbers will allow you to keep track of which blogs you've visited and how many are left to visit. Why not take a moment to make a list of blog numbers 1-123 and check off the blogs as you go.

I know you'll want to visit as many blogs today as you can. So, if you see something that interests you on any of our participating blogs, why not bookmark that site. Later, when you have more time, you can discover all its fabulous treasures. 

CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! MY GIVEAWAY and RULES: I'm calling my giveaway A Month of Sundays Relaxation Kit. 2 yummy candles from Colonial Candle, bubblebath from Bath and Body Works, 4 great books (The Christmas Present by Tracy Wolff, Not Quite a Husband by Sherry Thomas, Whisper of Warning by Laura Griffin and Stellar Heat by Scarlett Jameson) and a $25 gift card. Great prize, right? And easy to qualify. All you have to do is become a follower. On the left, under the Blogmania badge, is a button that has the Google symbol and says Follow. Click it and sign up to become a follower. I'll be announcing the winner of the prize on Monday's blog entry, so make sure you come back!

Next week, I'll be blogging about my weekend trip to Holland.

Below is a small group of links. At each site, you'll find even more. From those sites, even more still. You get the idea. Each blog has their own criteria for their giveaway, so read carefully. Have fun checking out all these great sites. Have a great weekend!

(Blog- 1 – HOST OF BLOGMANIA) Between The Pages - http://betweenthelinesandmore.blogspot.com/

(Blog -2 – CO-HOST OF BLOGMANIA) The Black Sheep Dances - http://www.theblacksheepdances.blogspot.com

(Blog-43 - CO-HOST OF BLOGMANIA) Books, Books Everywhere - http://bookywooks.blogspot.com/

(Blog-6) Ashleyladd - http://www.ashleyladd.blogspot.com

(Blog-27) Blackberry Jam Café - http://www.BlackberryJamCafe.blogspot.com

(Blog-34) Reading AT The Beach - http://www.readingatthebeach.com/

(Blog-54) Paper Cut Reviews - http://papercut-reviews.blogspot.com/

(Blog-90) SMS Book Reviews - http://smsbookreviews.blogspot.com

(Blog-111) Deanna's Tidbits - http://deannajewel.blogspot.com

(Blog-120) I Sew Cute and Draw Pretty Nifty Also - http://isewcute.blogspot.com/

Almost time for Blogmania

Only a couple more days and Blogmania will be here. April 30^th. This Friday. You will find tons of great blogs to explore, on all topics. And best of all? We're all giving away some great prizes. Each blog will have their own guidelines for their giveaway, so please read each one carefully. I've finally decided on my giveaway. In order to be eligible, all you have to do is become a follower. On the left side of the screen, there is a button with the Google symbol and the word Follow. On Friday I will move it up so that it is underneath the Blogmania badge. Click that button and become a follower. Easy, right? If you're already a follower (thank you very much), you're good to go.

So what goodies am I giving away? Good question. I'm calling it A Month of Sundays Relaxation Kit. A mouthful, I know. I call it this because I love to settle into a warm bubble bath, with flickering candles and read a great book. That is a little slice of heaven for me, and I hope it appeals to you too.

We'll start with 2 yummy candles from Colonial Candle. Then, while you're running your bath water, pour in some bubble bath from Bath and Body Works. Now that we've set the mood and gotten our water ready, what to read?

There are 4 Sundays in a month. Usually. So, 4 books it is. Which 4 books, you ask? Quite a selection, in several different genres. I'm a member of the Austin RWA chapter, even though I'm over here in Germany now. Recently, our chapter had a bunch of good news. 3 of our published authors were finalists for the RITA award. If you don't know what this is, the easy answer is that it's the Emmys of the romance writers world. A very big deal. So I will include all three of these books, plus a copy of my own that just came out last week.

The Christmas Present by Tracy Wolff
Not Quite a Husband by Sherry Thomas
Whisper of Warning by Laura Griffin
Stellar Heat by Scarlett Jameson

And, last but not least, if I've missed a crucial ingredient that you require for total relaxation, I'm also including a $25 Visa gift card.

Remember, all you have to do to be in the running is to become a follower. And as a teaser. I know a lot of you like the little glimpses I give to my time in Europe. I'm heading to Holland this weekend, so next week will be a European extravaganza!

What do you think of my prize? Interested?

Early Bird Check List

You may have noticed the Blogmania badge on the left side of my blog. What is Blogmania, you say? Well, for one day, every blog that is registered with Blogmania will provide a list of participating blogs. Why? So you can find some fun, new blogs and we'll do all the work for you. On this day, April 30, each and every blog will be giving away a cool gift. I'm still working out my giveaway, but it will be great. Each blog will have its own requirements for the gift, so make sure you read each one closely. Below is the Early Bird Check List. Get ready, folks. Not long now.

Blogmania Early Bird Check List:

We want all of our visiting guests in our first Blogmania Event scheduled for April 30^th to Get On Their Marks-Get Set…  

It's not time to go yet, but if you want to have the most fun and scoop up as much loot as possible, here are a few Early Bird Reminders to help you do just that.

1.   Be at any of the blogs participating in the Blogmania Event as early as possible on April 30^th.   The easiest way to find a Blogmania Blog is to look for the Blogmania Badge.

2. This is an international event, so understand that there will be some differences in time zones.  My advice is to start early and stay late to catch all the blogs.

3.  Each blog will have their own giveaway requirements. Read them carefully, follow through, and then move on as quickly as possible. If you run across a blog that you really like and want to spend some time exploring, copy their URL and then visit them after Blogmania is over.

4.  We will have a 100+ blogs for you to visit. Each one will post their number like this. (This is blog 64 of 106) This is to help you keep track of which blogs you've visited, and which ones you still need to reach. I'd suggest that you prepare a blog sheet which is numbered from 1 – 120, then mark off each numbered blog as you visit them.

5.   All blog links provided will also have a number like (Blog 89 of 100). Look for the blogs that you haven't yet visited and follow those links until you've checked off all the blogs on your sheet.

6.  We have all types of blogs participating in Blogmania, which means that the range of items in their giveaways are diverse. I have previewed many and they are awesome.

7.  Why not contact a friend and partner up. Compare notes, share loot, or organize your own friendly neighborhood Blogmania Competition.

Surprise Gifts

I'm back after two days of technical difficulties kept me from posting. From anything on the web, actually. Sorry to disappear.

Monday I had to go into the part time job for a few hours. While there, I got to talking (who me?) to one of my co-workers. She told me that her husband had gotten her a Kindle for their anniversary and how much of a surprise it had been. She'd been expecting something else and I think the fact that he was able to completely surprise her pleased her as much as the gift itself.

I had a similar experience. My husband and I don't usually exchange anniversary gifts. Instead, we try to take a trip. Not only did we take the trip, but he also surprised me with an iPod Touch. I'd wanted one for a while but hadn't gotten around to getting it. Surprise number one.

He did it again for Valentine's Day. Hubby has never really celebrated this holiday and in fact, shows his love for me throughout the year in other ways. This year, however, I received a lovely Citizen watch. It's gorgeous and, according to one of my friends, so totally me.

Gifts are nice. I love getting them but I think when the man (or woman) in your life really puts some deep thought into what would make you happy and then goes to lengths to surprise you, that is the better gift.

Have any of your significant others surprised you? What's your favorite gift?